It Just Keeps Getting Better All The Time

Obviously it’s been a few months since the last post and much has happened, especially in the development of Landre. Without going into depressing details, the first three months were rough. No matter how much advice you get from friends and family on what to expect and how to plan, nothing can truly prepare you for parenthood. Thankfully it gets easier, and what seemed like a never-ending nightmare when your in it, is in reality, a small hick-up.

A child is the best gift that God could give. Landre has been so much fun over these past 7 months. As I’m sure all parents can attest, the first few months they are little blobs that twitch uncontrollably and give little smiles that melt your heart even when the smile is a result of passing gas. It was around 4 months that I really felt things had settled down and we were all getting into our groove. Slowly, Landre’s personality began emerging and the sleepless nights and anxiety seemed worth it. Thanks to the advice and encouragement of friends Allison and Lindsay, it was about this time that we got Landre sleeping through the night. Hallelujah!

Right around Landre's six month birthday we began introducing solids.

I never really thought about making baby food, but I was given the “Super Baby Foods” book at one of my showers and thought, what the heck! It’s surprisingly simple and the food taste so much better than those in the jars. The only downside is that the food processor is so loud that it absolutely scares the beejeezees out of Landre, so I have to blast the TV to distract him. His first food was avocado and his face was priceless the first time his little tongue hit that green mush. I’ve been trying to introduce as many vegetables before I let his lips taste the sweet fruits. If he’s like his mommy and daddy, wants he knows sweet, there’s no going back.

Landre took his first trip the end of July to Orcas Island, WA to attend Amy & Coulter’s wedding (well, he didn’t actually attend the wedding, but he was there). We were so amazed at how well he did, especially considering that our travel time on the way there was over 13 hours! You’re probably thinking “13 hours! I thought you went to Washington”. We left the house at 5am for a 7:20 flight. The flight was 2 hours, the drive to the ferry was 2 hours, the wait for the ferry was 4 ½ hrs, the ferry ride was an hour and then the ride to our hotel on the island was 30 minutes. Phew! But like I said, Landre was a gem!

Landre’s now 7+ months and he is crawling and pulling himself to stand up against what ever he can get a grip on. But with standing, comes falling. You just can’t watch them every second, but when you hear that thud and that sad cry follow, you wish you were. He is definitely saying “mama”, but I’m not entirely sure he knows what it means. I’d like to think so. Time will tell. Other sounds like “da”, “ba”, “ahhh” and all the other noises he makes with his tongue and lips are so fun to listen to. But, by far, the most special moment is when you walk into the room, Landre sees you, and a huge smile emerges across his face. As Steen says, it just keeps getting better all the time.

Introducing the Newest Lundblad . . .

It all began in the early morning hours on December 23^rd. Around 1:00am I felt my first cramp. Thinking it was because I needed to go to the bathroom, I got up and went. About a half an hour later, it happened again. Off to the bathroom I went. Not really thinking anything of it, I was use to getting up multiple times a night with my shrunken bladder. An hour later and two more trips to the bathroom it dawned on me that maybe these were contractions. A feeling of excitement ran through me and I looked over to Steen who was sound asleep. Tempted to wake him up, I decided to let him sleep. Me on the other hand, the contractions were happening just far enough where I couldn’t go back to sleep. Believe me, I tried. At 3:45 I got up to go to the bathroom again and this time my restlessness woke Steen up. He looked at me with a dazed look and I thought, “now’s my chance”. I told him that I was starting to have contractions. Immediately he shot up and turned on the light. In an exuberant voice he said, “Well let’s get up and go down stairs. Let’s watch T.V. I’ll make some coffee. We’re not going to be able to sleep anyway.” And so it began . . .

My contractions were happening pretty consistently, about every 15 minutes. The pain wasn’t bad, but definitely noticeable. We had an OB appointment scheduled for that day and wondered whether we’d actually make it to the appointment or whether we’d be in the hospital. Steen had appointments scheduled for the day and as he left I reminded him to keep his cell close. Thinking that today could be the day, I took the advice of a friend and took the opportunity to take one last shower, blow dry my hair and put on some makeup. By the time Steen made it home to take us to our 2:00pm appointment my contractions had gotten worse and were now happening about every 10 minutes. Steen thought for sure they’d admit us into the hospital, so he grabbed our bags and off we went. We were more than surprised when the doctor said that I was only ½ cm dilated. The doctor advised us that the contractions have to be REALLY INTENSE for the hospital to admit us. Thinking my pain was pretty intense at that point, I could only imagine (and not it a good way) how much worse it would get.

Trying to take my mind off the pain, I decided to go to a movie with my mom and aunt Judy (The Blindside). Somehow it seemed to help. However, the minute they brought me home the intensity of my contractions picked up. Taking the advice of another friend, I tried walking around the house. Pretty soon they were too intense and I laid balled up on the couch. Now they were happening every 5-7 minutes and I was implementing my breathing techniques. Remembering what the doctor had told us earlier in the day, Steen kept telling me that he didn’t think they were intense enough (how would he know). By 8:45pm I couldn’t tolerate it anymore and called the doctor who advised us to come in.

By 9:30pm I was being hooked up to monitors to determine if I would be admitted. In the process of being checked out, I threw up, twice. No one warned me that this might happen, but apparently it’s a sign that you’re in “true labor”. The nurse checked my dilation and reported that I was 3+cm, going on 4cm. Enough for them to admit me; which meant that the epidural was on it’s way. By 10:00pm I had that lovely liquid running through my veins and I instantly felt like I had a second wind. By 12:00am I was officially dilated to 4cm and it was decided that the nurse would break my water. It was projected that I would continue to dilate 1cm an hour, meaning that we were looking at a 6:00am delivery. Steen immediately got on the phone and warned our family. In the mean time Steen and I tried to get a little sleep.

At 4:45am it felt like my epidural was wearing off. The nurse came in and turned up my drip. Fifteen minutes later it still felt like the epidural wasn’t affective. The nurse checked my dilation again and said, “Oh, you’re there”. The nurse alerted the on-call doctor and we began the pushing process. I pushed for about 30 minutes before the doctor arrived. Once the doctor was present the pushing got more rigorous. It wasn’t painful; it was just exhausting. An additional 30 minutes of pushing and I finally saw my boy. That very first moment when the head emerged an overwhelming rush of emotion came over me and tears of joy streamed down my face. At 6:20am on December 24^th 2009 we gave birth to our beautiful son Landre David Lundblad. He weighed 7lbs 9oz and was 19.5 in long. The nurse grabbed his little body, wrapped him, and placed him on my chest. The second his body touched mine his tired eyes opened and gazed up at me as to say, “so that’s what you look like”. Instantly I was in love. A moment I will never forget.

Three Months To Go . . .

We are finally in the last trimester. I guess the time went by fast, but it felt like it took forever for me to show - I mean show to the point where there was no confusing whether I was pregnant or just fat. I was so glad that I "popped" before school started and kids weren't looking at me wondering if I drank too much beer over the summer. I have to say that going back-to-school was a much easier

transition than I thought it was going to be. I envisioned being so whipped by the end of the day that I would have to race home to take a nap, but surprisingly I've had really great energy. I think there's only been two days so far where I actually "needed" a nap. I haven't been making it to the gym like I was during the summer, but I'm managing to resist eating everything in sight and throwing in a good up-hill walk now and then. The good news is that I'm healthy, Landre's healthy, and my belly's growing at the right rate (even though everyone I talk to says, "Oh, you don't look very big". It always makes me feel like I'm doing something wrong when they say that.)

Landre is becoming more and more active everyday. He's just like his mom,

food improves his spirits. Immediately after I eat he's moving all over the place. It's the most amazing sensation to feel that little guy moving himself around. It's so cool to feel him, but

I love looking down at my belly and actually seeing it move too. Steen's been reading a little Dr. Seuss - Oh Baby the Places You'll Go (thanks Josh and Jenny). Of course Steen has to read in a really ridiculous voice so who knows if Landre will even recognize his voice when he finally comes. I love seeing how excited Steen is about his son. He's always in awe at my growing belly, loves telling me about babies he sees throughout the day and often says, "I can't wait to see what he looks like! I love him so much!"

(Pictures taken by "professional" friend Sarah Collins)

Baby Boy Lundblad is on His Way!

In hindsight it would've been nice if I would would've made routine postings documenting the progress of my pregnancy. Seeing as that I'm now 21 weeks along (over the half way point), I'll have to give a little recap of what's been going on. 

My first trimester was pretty darn near PERFECT. I had NO morning sickness, and although I felt a bit tired from time-to-time, it wasn't anything that compromised my days. My biggest problem during my first trimester was ME. I had misconceptions about being pregnant. I thought I would start "showing" right away, and therefore start gaining weight; I thought I needed to start eating every couple hours . . . I psychologically played a trick on myself and gained 12 lbs during those first 3 months (you're only suppose to gain about 5lbs). Now I know for next time.

During the first few weeks of my second trimester I started to get a pretty   

severe pain in my left butt cheek (everyone says: oh, sciatica). It was so bad for a few days that I couldn't lift my leg. My mom suggested acupuncture, and my doctor approved. After one visit the pain was gone and it hasn't returned yet (I pray it doesn't come back). I was relieved from my pain the day before we left for Hawaii. Praise God! The picture above is Steen and I on our trip. If you look closely you can see the start of my baby bump. Since then, I have had lower back aches and pains that are much less severe. I generally lie on a heat pack for about 20-30 minutes a day. It seems to do the trick. 

I am now 21 weeks along and feeling great. It has been so nice to have the summer off to relax and adjust to being pregnant. I've maintained a regular workout routine consisting of cycling, swimming, and lifting weights. I have now gained a total of 20lbs, but this time it's all in the right places. I have definitely "popped" and now look like I'm pregnant, instead of just looking fat (I hate that awkward in between stage). I haven't really had any cravings yet, but if something sounds good I eat it. 

Here are some pictures of our little boy:

  

After our visit on Monday we our assured that everything is going perfect with the babies development (I was sort of worried because I wasn't feeling any movement). His heart rate is 140bpm, all the measurements were right on target, we saw all four chambers of the heart pumping, identified the two kidneys, and of course, verified that he is in fact a BOY. 

    

A New Decade Begins

Holey-moley I just turned 30!

We went to Las Vegas with our Bible study group (I know, it's an oxymoron or something) and officially closed out one era and seamlessly rolled right into the next. I know age is just a number, but 30 feels different. It feels as though I have legitimized myself in this world. Not that I didn't know who I was, but more that the world still thinks of you as inexperienced, a novice to life's challenges and questions. But 30, now I can be taken seriously. 

Vegas was perfect: 5 couples, money in the pocket, no kids, no problems. Thanks to our friend Tim, we got the royal VIP treatment. Friday night we went to a club at the Hard Rock and pretty much owned the dance floor. Tht is until Bryan moshed his way into spilling something alcoholic on to a guy who was not going for the "wet look" that evening. Saturday I pleasantly surprised the group into a battle-of-the-sexes scavenger hunt. Girls won! But who knew it would be so hard to find midgets and butt cracks in Vegas? 

Following that we went for a "lovely" 2 hour walk to a hotel that, what?, no longer exists. The mission had been to go bull-riding at the Frontier. I guess the search was more literal than we had anticipated; it was a true frontier, nothing but open land. Our mission was accomplished when we made it to Stoney's. Darren won the men's draw with a ride of 11 seconds and Annie won the women's draw with a ride of 27 seconds (granted the operator was much more aggressive with guys). 

Saturday night we headed out for my birthday dinner to eat my favorite - sushi. We made it to the LAX night club at about 11:30, pushed our way through a huge crowd, walked right in, got our VIP wrist bands, were escorted to an elevator that took us down to the VIP lounge  . . . later that evening us girls got major hook-ups from Pennsylvania Mike (thankfully the Mole hadn't found us out yet). We ended the night with a game of craps - we were up, we were down . . . we all know how those games end (no big deal though, Steen won $450 the first night). We tried our hardest to keep the celebration going, but finally, at 5:00am we threw in the towel and called it night. Viva Las Vegas!

Steen's Got a New Show Room

This fall Steen decided to take the next step with his business, South County Window Coverings & Retractable Screen Doors. It is obviously a leap of faith. With a new show room comes increased overhead, a receptionist to keep busy, and longer hours. Both of use relaize that it is a necessary part of a growing business. Thankfully there has been a positive response to this new venture. Steen's website for his company is infinitely better than this "family blog". Check it out and pass along his services to friends and family -SCShades.com

The open house for the show room was November 22nd and 23rd. Here are some picture!